Greening the Blue Report 2023

United Nations 3 years ago

The annual Greening the Blue Report – The UN system’s environmental footprint and efforts to reduce it shows the progress both at the UN system-wide level and entity level of implementing the Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations System 2020-2030, Phase I: Environmental Sustainability in the Area of Management (Sustainability Strategy I). The 2023 edition of the Greening the Blue Report, which provides 2022 data, was published on 21 December 2023. Commenting on the results from the report, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General noted, “The world must work together to address the triple planetary crisis of runaway climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.  We at the United Nations must do our part with advocacy and action.  I encourage all UN entities to set an example by greening the blue.” Sustainability Strategy I covers both environmental impact areas and management functions. Highlights of the Greening the Blue Report 2023’s UN system-wide 2022 data results include: Environmental Impact Areas Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) - the UN’s operations and facilities emitted 1.4 million tonnes of CO2eq in total or 4.6 tonnes CO2eq per capita. The UN system’s GHG emissions by source were 38% from air travel, 47% from facilities and 15% from other forms of travel Waste - the average waste generated for the whole UN system was 321 kg/person Water - the average water consumption by the UN system was 49 m3 per UN personnel per year Management Functions Environmental Governance – 7 UN entities have met or exceeded the criteria for implementing an Environmental Management System, with an additional 15 entities approaching the criteria Procurement* – 24 out of 29 organizations implemented formal sustainable procurement policies in their procurement processes Human Resources – 31 entities have environmental training available for their staff Greening the Blue Report 2023 highlights the environmental impacts of over 308,000 personnel in 57 entities across Headquarters, field offices and operations on the ground. The report also includes a case study from a UN entity on each of the environmental impact areas and management functions. To read the whole report and the detailed entity level data, please visit greeningtheblue.org. *Procurement data is taken from the 2022 Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement. More information      Methodologies and data collection used, please visit greeningtheblue.org/methodology. Methodology related to travel emissions provided by the International Civil Aviation Organisation please visit the ICAO website. For climate neutrality, please visit the UNFCCC website. For more information, please contact: UN Environment Programme   E-mail: unepnewsdesk@unep.org
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 7 hours ago



The UK’s built environment is entering a new phase of sustainable construction driven by integrated energy systems, low carbon design, and circular economy principles. Scotland’s rapid uptake of residential solar and heat pumps demonstrates how households are reducing the embodied carbon of existing homes faster than policy frameworks anticipate, supporting national ambitions for net zero whole life carbon. Octopus Energy’s investment in compact home battery systems and in a European battery-swapping network for electric lorries marks a decisive step towards decarbonising the built environment and reducing the carbon footprint of construction logistics.

The UK government’s £50 million allocation to critical minerals strengthens the domestic supply chain for low embodied carbon materials such as magnets and solar components essential to sustainable building design. This strategic move aligns with the broader goal of achieving carbon neutral construction and improving resource efficiency in construction through secure access to renewable building materials. It reflects the growing recognition that resilient supply chains are fundamental to whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment processes.

Projects such as Actis’ high‑performance insulation retrofit in rural properties illustrate how eco‑design for buildings and sustainable building practices are becoming mainstream. The shift from aspiration to baseline demonstrates the contribution of eco‑friendly construction to life cycle cost optimisation and the environmental sustainability in construction demanded by BREEAM and BREEAM v7 standards.

Sustainable design and end‑of‑life reuse in construction are now central to reducing the environmental impact of construction and to advancing building lifecycle performance. As low carbon building technologies mature, the industry shows that net zero carbon buildings can be achieved through circular construction strategies, green building materials, and sustainable material specification. The momentum suggests green construction is replacing rhetoric with measurable performance, consolidating sustainability as the operational core of modern infrastructure.

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